Some people, especially those outside Bauchi state, faulted the decision of Governor Mohammed Abubakar and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for filing petition against the purported victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and Ex-minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Mohammed before the election tribunal in the state.
They said the governor should have stood by his earlier decision to accept defeat not to opt for litigation. But I am sure the latest development must have now made the governor’s critics realise that Abubakar’s decision to go to court is the best action taken in the best interest of our dear state.
All Nigerians who keep themselves abreast with happenings in the nation have read stories carried on the national newspapers on the fresh scandal discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the Bauchi state governor-elect Bala Mohammed and their plan to prosecute him for collecting bribes when he was FCT minister.
According to the anti corruption body, Mohammed was accused of accepting gratification in the form of a house from Aso Savings and Loans Plc worth N550 million while serving as minister in 2014.
The property was situated at No 2599 and 2600 Cadastral zone, AO4 Asokoro District, Abuja.
The anti graft commission said the alleged offence is punishable under section 18 (b) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related Offences Commission because he accepted the house as a reward for performing his official duties he was appointed to perform.
The section reads “Any person who offers to any public officer, or being a public officer solicits, counsels, or accepts any gratification as an inducement or a reward for (a) voting or abstaining from voting at any meeting of the public body in favour or against any measure or resolution or question submitted to the public, (b) performing or abstaining from performing or aiding in procuring, expediting, delaying, hindering or preventing the performance of any official act, (c) Aiding in procuring or preventing the passing of any vote or the granting of any contract, award, recognition or advantage in favour of any person or (d) showing or forbearing to show any favour or disfavor in his capacity as such officer shall not withstanding that the officer did not have the power, right or opportunity so to do, or that the inducement or reward was not in relation to the affairs of the public body, be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to five years imprisonment with hard labour”.
Aside that, counsel to EFCC Wahab Shittu enumerated other charges against the governor-elect to include his alleged false statement to the commission’s investigation officer Ishaya Dauda that he acquired the said house through mortgage from the Aso Saving and Loans.
Another allegation is that the governor-elect when he was minister did not make full disclosure of his other house at Mike Akhigbe Street, Jabi, Abuja while filing his asset declaration, the offence that is punishable under section 27 (3) (a) of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 .
Having said this, I will remind readers of the Hausa adage that “Abunda Babba ya hango, yaro ko ya hau bishiya ba zai gani ba ” (meaning what an elder sights, a boy cannot sight it even on top of a tree). This proverb is apt to those who think the incumbent governor was wrong to have filed a suit against Bala Mohammed’s purported victory.
Even though, it is an evident truth that Abubakar was rigged out in the recent governorship election in the state, especially in Bauchi local government that has highest number of voters and Tafawa Balewa local government, the Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara’s constituency by the PDP stalwarts, Abubakar had at first accepted defeat despite pressure by his party chieftains not to accept the outcome of the fraudulent election.
Recall that Abubakar won the election in 15 out of the 20 local governments of the state as officially announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission but was allegedly defeated in the aforesaid two local governments with wide margin.
This was as a result of the massive rigging, over voting, disenfranchisement of the APC voters by thugs and thumb printing of ballot papers at residences of influential politicians in the state. There is no doubt that members of the opposition had formed a formidable gang to rig Abubakar out. The gangsters included Speaker Dogara, Senators Isah Hamma Misau, Nazif Gamawa, Adamu Gumba, Abdul Ningi and sitting House of Representatives members who lost APC tickets at the primaries and reelection bids at the general election for quarreling and sabotaging President Muhammadu Buhari at the National Assembly which irritated the electorate. It was only Dogara that managed to go back to the National Assembly among all the political enemies of the president and Governor Abubakar.
Thus, they realised that the only way to unseat the governor to console themselves on their poor outings at the polls was to rig the governorship election. They therefore connived with selfish traditional rulers including the Waziri of Bauchi Alhaji Bello Kirfi who was frustrated for not being allowed to control the government as he wanted, allegedly paid influential Islamic preachers in the state to decampaign Abubakar.
Among the clerics who campaigned openly for PDP candidate in their Jummaat sermons at their Mosques consistently were the famous Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and Ustaz Idris Abdul Aziz of Dutsen Tanshi Friday Mosque. In fact, Sheik Dahiru confessed that he was supporting the PDP candidate because he had been good to him. What does this imply?
It could be said that the involvement of the two prominent preachers in campaigns might have instigated thugs to disenfranchise Abubakar’s supporters at polling units and encouraged the PDP chieftains to rig the election in Bauchi local government which is the most populous in the state and in Dogara’s constituency, Tafawa Balewa local government.
Another reason that informed Abubakar’s decision to go to court to claim his stolen mandate was not only because he was rigged out but because of the impending calamity that is going to befall the state if the suspected corrupt former minister rules it.
Apart from the allegations of corruption and fear of wasting the state resources if he takes over, Bala Mohammed seems to love thuggery. This is in view of the way he walked and fraternized with them through out his campaigns. In fact, he was video taped allegedly inciting the youth and making unguarded remarks in the name of campaign.
Since his declaration as winner of the election, the notorious thugs known as ‘Yan Sara Suka’ who were earlier tackled have come back with full force because their man purportedly won election. Just last week, they attacked and killed two persons at Wunti market near Yan Container and Danjuma Goje Street in the Bauchi metropolis.
This is the more reason why all right thinking citizens in the state will be supportive of Abubakar’s move to reclaim his mandate in court with a view to rescuing the state from the hands of alleged thieves and terrorists. Nobody will want Sara Suka thuggery to resurface in Bauchi. These miscreants had before the advent of the Mohammed Abubakar administration stabbed, killed, robbed people and raped girls in the town.
Governor Abubakar too had explained before filing a petition against the outcome of the election that he would not allow corrupt people and thugs to take over the state. I believe with the latest development (prosecution of the governor-elect by EFCC and the return of thugs in the state) everyone should be prayerful that Governor M. A Abubakar should claim his mandate in court.
Musa writes from Bauchi, Bauchi state.
